Friday, April 29, 2011

The real estate broker that helped turn the sleepy Ditmas Park street into a haven for coffee aficionados is discouraging two coffee giants, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, fromopening shops on this section of Cortelyou Road.

Jan Rosenberg, honored last week for her role in the remarkable face lift of Cortelyou Road by the Brooklyn Independent Democrats, stated clearly that Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks should stay away from this newly revitalized strip. Right now there are successful mom-and-pop shops adding character to the area. Rosenberg suggested that they move instead to Foster Avenue, only three blocks away, a street with no other competition at the moment for coffee shops.

“I don’t think it’s a good thing for the strip,” Rosenberg said. “I’d much rather see them on Foster Avenue. There is no cafe to draw people there.”

Unfortunately it may already be too late for such a sensible approach to opening their businesses, since Dunkin’ Donuts already has a shop under construction on Cortelyou between Marlborough Road and the train station. And on Thursday night, at the ceremony which honored Rosenberg, the Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz mentioned that Starbucks is also planning to open a branch on that strip.